Equity through higher education in Nigeria

Education, especially access to higher education, is highly politicised in Nigeria, a deeply divided country. Successive governments have implemented ‘affirmative action’ policies aimed at increasing access and promoting equity. What role does higher education play in creating or reducing inequality among groups based on ethnicity and geographic location?

Educationhas traditionally been viewed as having a positive role in national integrationand development. It can promote understanding of local cultures and overcome thebarriers presented by different religions, languages and customs. However,studies show that the relationship between education and national integrationis not straightforward. A variety of factors play a part in determining whethereducation creates harmony or conflict in societies with multiple religions andcultures.

Nigeriahas about 374 ethnic groups and its 120 million citizens are split fairlyevenly among Christianity and Islam. It is a deeply divided society, withdivisions existing among regions, states, political zones, kingdoms andchiefdoms. Throughout its history, none of its constituent groups has ever beensatisfied with its share. Education is perceived as having a role in thecreation or removal of socio-economic and political inequalities and, as aresult, has become very political.

Astudy by Oxford University in the UK focuses on access to education, its perceivedrole in producing or diminishing inequality and its impact on ethnic relations,drawing on evidence from Nigeria. It examines the attempts of successiveNigerian governments to implement programmes aimed at increasing access toeducation and improving equity in education opportunities, at both state and federallevels, as well as the public’s response to these programmes.

Theresearch reports that:

• There is no support for the view that greaterachievements in education naturally lead to national integration via thetransfer of loyalties from smaller units to the central authorities.
• Education in Nigeria has added to the persistence of,and growth in, ethnic divisions. This is in part people politicising education provision,believing that it plays a role in creating or removing other inequalities.
• Programmes by successive Nigerian governments aimed atimproving access to education have increased school enrolments. However,discrepancies remain between the North and South after the latter set uptertiary institutions for students turned away from federal institutions.
• While inequality still abounds in education, the government’s policieshave enabled the different ethno-regional groups to produce qualified staff forimportant public service roles, reducing their domination by ‘native foreign’staff.
• Because of this, it is likely that conflicts have been averted: in thepast, conflict arose from staff from certain advantaged regions dominating thepublic sector in other regions.

Thisstudy suggests that although policies that are intended to equalise access toeducation may encourage ethno-regional differences, at the same time they arenecessary to prevent violent conflict stemming from ethno-regional dominationof the public sector.